Batman Adventure Chronicles: War of the Witches
by Green113
Summary: He was put in the Red Room, tortured in the facility in ways unimaginable by the human mind. He was abused and used, falling deep into a dark hole of despair until they found each other. A bat and a widow. They must unite after being separated for years, fight through their differences and feelings to defeat the Witches for good.
1. Chapter 1: The Red Room

A.N.: Hey, guys! Green here with a Batman/Black Widow fanfic. Now, I'm going to warn you way ahead of time… Batman experiences something you won't enjoy him experiencing. I can almost guarantee it. BUT! The story itself will use that to create an interesting driving point with Black Widow. Also, I've revised the Black Widow's history a little. Having done some research, I hope you will find her personality satisfactory in future chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

He trudged through the cold, winter air of Mother Russia, his feet numb and his ears red. He breathed hard, his misty breath visible before his eyes. He had trouble seeing in front of him, the blizzard making it difficult. He tightened the cloak around himself and pushed forward, ignoring the rumbling of his stomach.

" _Trained for too long… Forgot to eat… I always forget to eat… Always forget I'm human..."_ The young man glanced up, his vision blurry. The cold didn't help and neither did the wind, pushing him forward. He forced himself to stay upright, a difficult task when you haven't eaten in 50+ hours. He collapsed to his one knee. The cold was taking his legs, his ability to walk. His eyes struggled to stay open, a sleepiness falling over him. _"Damn… it..."_ He collapsed to the snow, closing his eyes slowly, but not until seeing a pair of feet walking over to him. His world faded to black.

* * *

"An American? In Russia? Why?"

"No clue. We should kill him."

"Wait… he's got scars on his body. Battle scars. He could be a fighter… we could use him."

"The facility wants only girls. A boy wouldn't be well-received."

"We could make an exception… Besides, judging by _Größe seines Schwanz_ he puts most grown men in this pitiful country to complete shame." Lips were heard licked. "We could have some fun with this one..."

"Indeed. He may be our best agent yet… Very well. We'll induct him into the Red Room… and create the first male Black Widow!"

* * *

Bruce's eyes foggily opened, voices heard around him. He felt a sharp slap to his face and was abruptly forced to focus on his surroundings. He awoke to see he was in a dark cylinder chamber, surrounded by five women. He was strapped to a table, his arms and make legs restrained to make his body seem like he was forming an x. He was completely naked, his body for their eyes to feast on. He was gagged and he felt exhausted, the sounds sounding muffled from his throat. A circular light was formed around the room and it allowed Bruce to see the women in the light. The woman was known as Bruno, an average height woman with a blonde flat-top haircut and brown eyes. She was completely naked, save for the swatiska symbols on her breasts and long boots on her legs. The woman to his corner right was known as Clarice Ferguson, a mutant with lilac skin, dark pink hair, pointed ears and pupil-less green eyes with pink marks across her face. Along with Bruno, she stood naked as well. To his corner left was a woman called Viper, a woman with flowing green hair and purple lips, a toned body and green eyes and a feral smirk on her face. She, too, stood with no clothes. To his rear right was a woman known as Madame Hydra, also called Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, was an exotic looking woman with brown and white streak running through the middle. She stood bare with the rest of the women. The final woman to his rear left was woman known as Queen Hydra, known by the first name Grace. She had red hair that flowed down mid-back with green eyes and she had no exception with the status of her clothes.

The most outstanding feature about the room wasn't the women but rather, the many erotically dangerous tools hanging on the wall behind them. From gags to lashes, the walls were filled with disgusting toys. Bruno grinned wildly, grabbing a lash from behind her as the vertical table Bruce was strapped on became horizontal. He struggled weakly but it was no use.

"Such an interesting specimen..." Grace commented running her fingers through his hair. "We'll pit him in the Red Room next. If he's useful, we can train him and sell him to the Soviets to keep them off Hydra's back like the rest of the Black Widows."

"Please, my Queen..." Bruno straddle Bruce, smirking down at his eye-widened state. "Now is not the time for work… now… is the time..." The whip cracked in her hand. "For play."

Day one, they violated him in all types of ways. He never gave them the pleasure to see him scream. Day two, he was forced fight countless assassins until he passed out. He beat them all while barely standing. Day three, the violation continued, strapped to a table and unable to fight back, the women had their way with him. Sometimes it was just one, sometimes only three but most of time it was all of them. He held some kind of special attraction to them but he absolutely loathed them. Day four, he was told to kill an operative without getting seen. He refused and was tortured for the next 12 hours. He lost track of how many days he was there, but it followed that same routine, varying every now and again. When it became apparent that he wouldn't kill anyone, the scientists sighed in disappointed.

"Don't kill him. The Witches would be angry. No, just put him in the cell with that other failed operative. He is no Black Widow."

Thrown in a cell, Bruce lay on the floor, abused but not broken. He tried to push himself up and managed to sit upright and lean against the door.

"Are you alright?" A female with a Russian accent asked him.

From the bed, sitting with her legs hugged to her knees, was girl about his age, with red fiery red hair and green eyes. She wore a loose white dress, with cuts all over her body. The cuts seemed to be from stray bullets.

Bruce looked away from her, unwilling to answer.

"It's okay… you don't have to talk." The girl parted her hair, placing strands behind her ear.

"… I'm fine..." He replied raspily, still looking away. "This is nothing..."

She stared at him for a moment. "Are you strong?"

Bruce turned his head, looking at her now. "What do you mean?"

"Are you strong?" She asked again. Her look was piercing right through him, almost as if she could see the animal inside.

Bruce continued to breathe heavily, unable to look away now. "Not… yet..."

The girl smiled, getting off the bed and sitting in front of him, crossing her legs. "I'm Natalia Romanova. I've been here for a long time. I'm not strong either… not yet."

He stared into her eyes for a moment, feeling a strange connection that made him feel awashed with relief, a strange relief he hadn't felt in a long time. "I'm Bruce… Bruce Wayne…"

* * *

The weeks continued, Bruce and Natalia growing closer every time he was thrown back into the cell.

"I'm a ballerina..." Natalia said, her eye twitching slightly when she said it. "I lived with my family until they sent me here… to grow strong."

Several times, they had tried to force him to kill somebody but each time he refused and because of it, he was tortured and then sent to the Witches. After they had their way with him, he was thrown back into the cell with Natalia.

After weeks of watching him thrown back into the cell, bloody and barely breathing, Natalia had asked him what it was he went through. He didn't tell her at first, the trauma of it making him unwilling to relive it. But one day, he told her of the experience.

"They drag me out and put me in that damn, bright Red Room… I have to fight and I win… they tell me to kill, I refuse… They strap me to a chair and hurt me in ways I never knew were possible… it feels like an eternity but ends after half a day… Then, the Witches seek me, to touch me, to abuse me with their tools… My screams of pain incite their screams of pleasure… Their laughing stills rings in my ears and I can't go to sleep without them hunting me in my dreams..."

Throughout his recounting, Natalia had only stared at him gaping. When he had finished, she couldn't stop herself from embracing him, squeezing him tightly in her arms. Bruce, confused, glanced at her but heard her sobbing silently. She sobbed for him. He didn't say anything, simply wrapping his arms around her in turn.

Bruce had seen Natalia taken from the room at least one time. When she came back, she was thrown into the room by her hair.

"They wanted me to kill a man..." She said. "But I thought of you and then I couldn't do… I couldn't do it..."

Bruce hugged Natalia, their pained bodies healing from the warmth of each other. After many days of counting the amount of time they have been taken out and thrown back into that cell only to fall into each other's arms, Bruce began to formulate an escape plan.

Natalia and Bruce had been training together in the cell, preparing themselves for the eventual escape. They sweated after each sparring session but they always came back for more. The heat and tension built from these sessions soon transformed into passion and passion into love.

Bruce and Natalia stood by the door, waiting for their opportunity.

"Bruce..." Natalia began. "If we don't make it out..."

"We _will_ make it out, Natasha."

She stepped up to him and kissed him on his lips. Bruce reciprocated until the quick kiss ended and she stepped away. "Just in case."

The door opened and having made a sharpened weapon out of the bed peg, Bruce quickly stabbed the hand of the guard and Natalia pounced and grabbed his gun. Bruce removed the man's helmet and beat the man in the face until his knuckles were bloody. After taking care of him, Bruce and his crimsoned haired partner sprinted down the hallway, coming upon the button to release everyone in their block area. Some of the girls that have been captured had been crazed or worse. Bruce hit the button, knowing he could use that to his advantage. Natalia and Bruce ran block to block, releasing everyone they could, eventually causing an alarm to ring out. Gunshots could be heard several blocks down. Bruce and Natalia ran up behind a guard who was dealing with some of the escapees and Natalia knocked him out with the butt of the gun. She grabbed the keys and smiled at Bruce, who nodded in approval. They ran through the facility, their aim being the courtyard.

A gun rang out and shot Natalia in the leg, forcing her to the ground.

"Natasha!" Bruce exclaimed. He was suddenly restrained as well with a chokehold and a gun to his temple. He felt bare skin on his back and immediately knew who it was – Bruno. He wasn't used to seeing her with clothes on and without a sadistic grin. Natalia sat up with a groan, wincing from her bullet wound. She widened her eyes and gasped upon seeing Bruce held at bay by Bruno. The sadist smiled at Natalia, a crazy twitch in her eyes.

"Damned worms! Thinking you could escape from this facility alive… I'll kill the both of you, burning you alive and leaving you in the forest for the maggots. Well… maybe not you, my dear chew toy." She licked Bruce's cheek, making him frown in disgust. Her free hand reached down his body, going inside his pants and fondling him. A shiver ran down Bruce's spine while Natalia looked on in disgust.

"Let go of him..." She said lowly.

"Maybe I'll torture you both and then feed you to the wolves..." She continued, unable to hear anything but her own rambling.

"I said… LET GO OF HIM!" With surprising pinpoint accuracy, Natalia shot the gun out of her hands, allowing Bruce to break her hold and kick Bruno in her pelvis, the woman painfully falling over. He raised his foot and stomped on her face, knocking her out.

"Never thought I'd do that to a woman… but I'd be lying if I said it didn't feel good." Bruce ran over to Natalia, kneeling next to her. "Natasha, are you okay?"

"I-I can't walk..."

"Alright then. I'll carry you."

"No! No… just go. You need to escape. You-"

"Shut up." He picked her up piggy-back style and began running for the courtyard. Making it outside, where there were tons of escaped girls, Bruce and Natasha sprinted for the fence, kicking down the door as the guards were all distracted. One, however, spotted them leaving.

"Two of them are escaping! After them!"

Hearing this, Bruce sprinted through the forests and bushes, moving fast and avoiding the gunshots that whizzed past him. Natalia, with her gun still in hand, aimed behind her and rapidly shot at them, forcing the pursuing guards to stop and take cover. Her gun ran out of bullets and without any clips to refill it, she decided to toss the gun to the ground. The two continued to move, moving deeper into the forest but stopped short upon coming up to a cliff. A river was rushing wildly and the other side was too far to make a jump. Bruce looked around wildly, wondering if there was any other way. Natalia glanced behind her, hearing the men getting closer.

"Bruce!" She desperately shouted. "Go on without me! I can't swim and survive the river speed but you can! Please!"

"Shut the hell up, damn you! I swear to God, I'm taking you with me even if it kills me!"

Natalia glanced behind her again and smiled to herself solemnly. "I'm sorry but… I don't want you to die..." She leaned in close to his ear, whispering, "… I love you Bruce… Don't forget me..."

"Nata-" With surprising strength, she kicked Bruce into the rushing river and fell down to the ground herself, watching him fall. He reached out to her as he fell, his face disappearing under the rushing water. Natalia raised her hands as the guards got close, aiming their guns at her.

"Should we kill her?" One guard asked.

"No, leave her alive…" Another replied. "It's been awhile since we've seen the potential of such a candidate… Bring her back!"

"What about the other one?"

"Probably fell into the river and died. He was of no importance. He was just a toy for the Witches, anyway. We can get them another. We've caused too much noise here and we'll be seen as suspicious if we're found. We're packing it up and relocating. Pick her up and let's go!"

Bruce, in the river, didn't die. He refused to, far too stubborn. No amount of perverse torture, inflicted pain, or dark tragedies would break him. He rushed down the waterfall, falling for God knows how long. When he felt another pool of water him, he blacked out. When he woke up, it was near dusk and he was resting on a bank. Coughing, Bruce turned over, his body sore and bruised. He spat out some water, before glancing up to see helicopters flying away. For a moment, he could almost swear staring out the window of one, was Natalia. After having healed up, Bruce went back to the facility to see if he could rescue his friend but found that the facility had been evacuated, the building burnt down and barren. Bruce trudged through the trees until he made it to Moscow, his feet bloody from the trek. He had a made a vow to himself to find Natalia and save her but years had passed and he was never able to find her. Living with the guilt of surviving because of his friend's sacrifice, Bruce continued on his training, pushing past the traumatizing experiences dealt by the Witches with months and months of spiritual training. It would be years before they would meet again and under a common goal.

* * *

A.N.: Short first chapter but I hope you liked it. Don't worry, there will be more of this and no, Batman will not have to go through that again. It hurts me too. Anyway, if you're interested in the development of this story, please follow, favorite and review to let me know what you thought. Until next chapter!

Green out.


	2. Chapter 2: Strained Reunion

A.N.: Hello, readers! Green here and I just wanted to inform you, for any who were wondering, yes, this is the same Batman that I have been utilizing in _all_ my stories thus far, Chronicles (main series) and Adventure Chronicles (side series). That means the appearance and its recentness still applies so please check my profile bio if you want to know what his batsuit looks like or how Bruce Wayne is described. It also contains other information you should probably know if you intend to read my stories in general. Without further ado, here's the story! Enjoy!

* * *

"What?!"

"You heard it right, Natasha. The Witches have resurfaced. Activity has been shown in several areas that they are forming a covert army. We don't have enough information on them or their locations but there is someone who might."

"Who?"

"Bruce Wayne AKA the Batman. He's returned to Gotham two years ago. You two have history, correct? It should be easy then. We suspect that he's learned about the Witches as well. We need anything he knows, understand? Going undercover, find his base and steal his files. Use whatever means necessary – Seduction, blackmail, murder if you can get away with it. Just get any information he may have collected. Is that clear, Black Widow?"

"Understand, Commander Fury."

* * *

" _Gotham City… a mixture of blood and darkness merged into the concrete and black streets that run for miles. Riddled in crime and agony, this place was forged from the hands of many men, having existed for several centuries._ They _died in this alley, leaving me the sole owner of the Wayne Legacy… Not a day doesn't go by when I feel my chest ache, throbbing like a hot, angry nerve… Bitter and without end… Just like this nightmare..."_

He stood in the alleyway, staring down at the tragic spot – the spot where Bruce Wayne died. That day, **he** was born, created from the shadows and formed through hard work and discipline. The one who stood with the body of Bruce Wayne is not the same person that walked out of the theater after seeing his favorite movie on the big screen with his parents. Bruce bent down and placed a rose at the spot where his parents bled to death. He knelt where he watched it, helpless, scared and unable to do a thing.

" _18 years I've spent searching for every method known to man to avenge your death, to become something more than just a man… Unbreakable, indestructible and everlasting… Every time I blink, every time I sleep, no matter who I'm with or what I do, I see your faces but I can't remember your smiles or the way you laughed… I only remember the cold look of your dead eyes as He took you away, leaving me here to suffer like a broken toy… Why can't I remember your smile, Mother? I stare and stare at the pictures, hoping for the image of your smile to resurface, for your melodic voice to ring in my ears but when I try… Blankness is all that greets my efforts… Cold, unforgiving blankness…"_

Bruce rose up, the rain from the clouds began falling down on his body. A few strands of his hair fell over his tortured eyes, shadowing them.

" _I don't want to feel this pain, this anger… I don't know if I can forgive… I feel like I'm drowning in the air and no matter how hard I try, I can neither swim nor fly… I'm sorry, Mother… Father… I love you..."_

And with a cold breeze blowing his coat, he turned around, his shadow forming a demonic bat. Thunder boomed but Bruce's ears were deaf to the roar, the only sound was the bang of a gun. He didn't see the street, he saw the alley and at the end, a tall, shadowy, other-worldy, beautiful monster.

He stopped in the middle of the street and glanced down at his reflection in a puddle. Lightning was brought down, but no matter how much light flashed, he couldn't see his reflection. He saw **him** in his true form, in the same form he saw **him** that night. The true form of the bat. The bat that flew away, signaling **his** birth and his own death. **He** was created by this city, established as its guardian. With the blood of every orphan's dead parents, this guardian put fear into the hearts of every criminal in this God forsaken city. The angels sung in praise of **his** rising, the devils ran in fear of **his** presence and the world released thunder upon feeling that God's Wrath was given form.

* * *

Bruce walked up the stairs of his house, his butler and longtime friend, Alfred, opening it just as he came up. Somehow, the man always knew when Bruce would arrive back at the manor.

"Late night shower, Master Bruce?"

"Something like that." Bruce walked in, putting his coat on the rack. Alfred handed him a towel and he began wiping himself off. "I'm going to work."

"Before that, Master Bruce, I must inform you… You have a guest, sir."

"A guest? Who?"

Bruce was led into the kitchen, stopping short while widening his eyes in pure disbelief. Natasha Romanoff glanced up from her cup of tea and smiled, giving him a short wave. Sitting across from her was his young ward, Dick Grayson. The boy had lost his parents several months ago and was taken in by him.

"N-Natalia?" Bruce slowly uttered, shocked. Memories flooded his head of the young, scarlet haired girl sitting across from him in the damp, cramped prison cell. He shut his eyes and breathed, forcing the memories to fade. "What are you… what are you doing here?"

"I..." She glanced at Dick and Alfred. The butler immediately took the hint and beckoned Dick to follow him.

"Come along, Master Richard. It's past time for your studies."

"Aw, come on!" Dejected, Dick was led by Alfred out of the room, leaving Bruce and Natasha alone in the kitchen.

"So..." She began slowly, trying to break the awkward silence. "You look good."

"What are you doing here, Natalia?" He repeated more forcefully this time.

She sighed, placing her cup down gently. "There's something that I need to talk to you about… Do you remember, so many years ago, when you and I were trapped in Mother Russia, imprisoned and in pain?"

"I remember." Bruce replied stoically.

"The people who had entrapped us, the five women known as the Witches, have resurfaced."

"And you know this… how?"

"I'm working for an agency uninterested in letting the Witches have their way. For security reasons, I can't tell you all of the details but here," She walked over to him, showing him a badge. "This is my identification."

"S.H.I.E.L.D..."

She stowed the badge away, putting her hands on her hips. Her red hair partially covered her left eye. "I'll be frank, Bruce. We're afraid the Witches may come after you and we want to place you under special protection."

"Don't need it." Bruce replied curtly.

"Don't be stubborn. We have no choice. We can't predict what they'll do."

"I can take care of myself. Alfred will see you out." Bruce began walking out of the kitchen when Natalia roughly and tightly grabbed his wrist.

" _You_ have no choice either. We're government sanctioned, Bruce. Don't make this harder than it needs to be… It's me, Natalia. We're no strangers."

Bruce wrung his wrist of her grip, glancing at her over his shoulder. "That was then. I knew you then. I don't know you now. I don't know what you are, what you've done or what _they_ may have done to you. But now, it's not my problem. I have other things to take care of."

Natalia sighed, shaking her head. "You'll regret this, Bruce."

Bruce snapped his fingers and, as if he were teleporting, Alfred suddenly arrived in the kitchen. "Sir?"

"Escort Ms. Romanova out."

"Very well, sir."

"Goodbye, Natalia." Bruce turned his back on her and walked off, leaving her behind him.

* * *

"So, who was that woman, anyway? Someone you knew?"

" **Don't worry about it, Dick. Get back to your training."** Batman said, strapping on his belt. The boy turned back around and began flipping on his hands, moving speedily towards a punching bag. At the end of his flip, he jumped up and did a reverse spin kick, the momentum and power nearly kicking the bag off its chain. Batman gave him a nod of approval before walking over to the Batmobile, where Alfred stood waiting.

"Be safe, Master Bruce."

Batman jumped in the car and closed the door, speeding out of the Cave. During the drive out of his street, he began contemplating his decision to ignore Natalia.

" _ **No… I don't know her. Not anymore. I can't afford to allow someone as suspicious as that to come into my life. I have people to protect. I just can't afford it."**_

Batman's mind then wandered to the organization she showed him. _**"S.H.I.E.L.D. I've heard the name before in CIA records. A secret organization that no one person knows too much about it. Judging by the rumors of their operations, they're probably centered in New York. Her words about protection… are dubious at best. She wouldn't come to me with protection… not an organization like that. What does she really want?"**_

He turned his car, riding down the street. Deciding he'd push those thoughts away to ponder another time and research into S.H.I.E.L.D. later, he slowed down his car, stopping at his destination – a jewelry bank, famous for its clear cut diamonds. With his cape around his frame, Batman walked inside, the police already investigating. The officers tried not to glance at him, tried to stay focused, tried to keep their minds off the fact that their lieutenant is allowing a vigilante to just enter the room. Batman walked over to Gordon, who stared down at the bodies solemnly. They were covered with a white sheet, the blood already soaking through the cloth.

"Guy was murdered about an hour ago. A shopper came in, saw the body, and called the police."

Batman knelt down and uncovered the sheet, inspecting the wound. _**"He's**_ _ **been shot by a 9mm bullet…"**_

" **Witnesses?"**

"None. At least, that's what's being claimed. This Gotham and, as I'm sure you know, people scare easy."

Batman stood back up. **"This man most likely owed money to someone dangerous and on the wrong side of the law. This shop is set in one of the most rundown neighborhoods, yet it's never had any reported break-ins nor any** **stolen items. This place was protected and I think I know the two men who protected it."**

"Two?"

" **Dumfrey and Deever Tweed."**

* * *

"Target has taken the bait. Alert the fishermen."

 _'Yes, ma'am.'_

* * *

Batman stopped his vehicle in front of a warehouse, stepping out of the car. He walked up to the door, opening it slowly. Inside, it was dark, save for the single light that hung overhead. Around the light were several large men, all shirtless, wearing masks and carrying guns. In the center of the light were two chairs. They stood side-by-side and the two men that sat in them were bald, short and fancily dressed. They looked exactly alike and were drinking red wine from wineglasses.

Batman walked right up to them, stopping in front of the two.

"Ah, the Batman?"

"What could he possibly want, Tweedledee?"

"Who knows, Tweedledum?"

"Shall we ask?"

"Let's ask."

"Why are you here, Batman?" The two asked in unison.

" **A man was murdered in his own jewelry shop an hour ago. You two are the only gangsters that have been implicated to work around this area. I know you two were involved in his murder."**

"Oh, and where comes your proof?"

"Show us your proof!"

" **Proof? Sure… The three men stationed in the shadows waiting to ambush me are operatives of S.H.I.E.L.D. This means that even though you've committed a murder, they figured they could use you to lure me here. Isn't that right… Natalia?"**

Reaching up to the mask, Natalia pulled off her Tweedledee costume. She threw it to the ground, standing to her full height. She wore a black, bulletproof catsuit that had a belt and a holster on its side. Around her wrists were gauntlets. She kicked over the Tweedledum dummy, the body making a 'TZZZ!' of electricity before fading out.

The people around them all lifted their guns and aimed them at the Batman. He glared at her.

" **Did you murder that man?"**

"No, but we altered the crime scene. Don't worry – the man who did it will get thrown into jail."

" **So what was the plan? Lure me here and then what?"**

"Believe or not, Batman, I didn't come here unprepared and without knowing what I was dealing with. I've studied you, everything that could be studied about a mysterious figure like you. Even the world's top governments weren't always able to keep tabs on you throughout your journey. But I know what you are capable of. I knew you would see through my disguise. I also knew that the only method to get through to someone like you is to use something more. Something like seduction wouldn't work..." She reached into her belt and pulled out a phone. "But perhaps, blackmail would be more appropriate." She showed him the phone screen. On the screen was Alfred and Dick, gagged and bonded with masked operatives standing around them, guns in their hands. Batman's red eyes narrowed even further. "Take the gag off the butler."

On the screen, Alfred was ungagged and he faced the phone, panting. ' _Master Bruce!_ _'_

" **Alfred, Dick, are you two alright? Did they hurt you?"**

 _'No! No, we're fine, sir...'_

" **What do you want?"** Batman asked Natalia.

"I've told you – the Witches have resurfaced. The country, no, the world is shaking in fear behind the curtains. We have reason to believe that they are planning something dangerous. Any gathered information needs to be government confiscated – including yours."

Batman calmly turned back to the phone. **"Alfred. Take them to the Cave."**

 _'But sir-!'_

" **It's alright, Alfred. Trust me. _Everything is under control."_**

Alfred maintained his worried look but nodded nonetheless. ' _I… understand, sir…'_ Alfred turned to his captors and said lowly, _'Follow me.'_

Alfred led them to the study where the Shakespearean bust sat. He walked over to it and stared into its eye. A scanner activated after several seconds, scanning his eye. The head then flipped itself back, revealing a thumb print scanner beneath. Alfred removed his glove and placed his thumb on the scanner. After it scanned, the grandfather clock slid open, revealing a secret pathway underground.

 _'Commander, the butler has opened the passageway. Should we proceed through it?'_

She looked up at Batman, staring at his red eyes with steel in her own. "You should know that they have bombs attached to their chests, your butler and ward. If my men die, your men die. Is it safe?"

" **It's safe."** Batman replied, glaring at her.

"Enter, agent."

 _'Yes, ma'am.'_

Alfred led the men down there, the most noticeable objects being the Bat-computer at the end of the Cave and the colony of bats overhead. Alfred walked over to the computer and began typing the commands necessary. The password was bypassed and files began popping out. Articles, lists, suspected locations and journal notes all made their way to the screen.

"Extract the files."

The operative walked up to the computer and attached an external hardware drive to the computer and began transferring all of the data from their computer to the drive.

"As extra insurance against you," Natalia began, aiming her gun at him. "I will be taking other files in your computer. Just in case."

 _'Files extracted, Agent Widow.'_

"Good. Evacuate the area." She turned back to Batman. "Don't worry – I won't destroy your cave or anything of the sort. It won't be of any advantage for us. However, we will be taking your comrades to insure that you stay in line with the orders given."

" **Widow… The program all those years ago worked, then. You really did become a cold-hearted killer."**

"Don't pretend that if the world was at stake, you wouldn't resort to such methods. For the sake of the lives of millions of men, women and children, I wouldn't think twice about killing who I must in order to protect the many." She stowed away her gun, put away the phone and slowly began walking over to Batman. "Despite this, I haven't forgotten, Bruce… Our long talks in the cell, our moments of huddled warmth… No matter the torture, neither Hyrdra nor my fellow Russians were able to take this from me..." She was in front of him now. Her hand slowly reached up for his face but Batman angrily slapped it away, growling down at her.

" **Get your filthy hands away from me."**

Black Widow sighed before turning around, her eyes closed and a small, solemn smile on her face. "We are taking you with us. We will require your services as we find and hunt down the Witches one-by-one." She looked at him over her shoulder and despite himself, when she looked at him with those eyes all he saw was the red-haired girl trapped in the prison cell with him. "Believe or not, Bruce, we aren't the bad guys… Gas him."

Gas was sprayed in front of Batman's face and he soon blacked out, falling unconscious. The last thing he heard was a small whisper from what he could swear was Black Widow's voice.

"I'm sorry."


	3. Chapter 3: Revenge is Sweet

"Hm, a scar?"

"Pretty deep. Sword cut?"

"I would guess so. Where do you think he got it?"

"Who knows. Guy's a freak in a bat costume. God knows where he gets half of his scars."

Bruce raised his head, looking out through the bars of his cell. He could tell he was on a freighter of some sort. The guards stood out in front of the cell, guarding it. He narrowed his eyes at the back of them.

" _They took off the make-up covering my scar… Meaning they've confiscated my suit and used my own body oils to take it off the make-up."_

He studied his cell, seeing it was small. He sat on a bed, wearing only his black pants.

" _I need to bide my time, wait… the opportunity will show itself and until then..."_

Bruce crossed his legs and closed his eyes, entering into a deep state of meditation. After half an hour, Bruce heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Well, well, well… how nice to see you here, Mr. Wayne. Or should I say… Batman?"

Bruce slowly opened his intense blue eyes, ocean blue meeting a dull blue. The man stood before him, outside of the cell, was Nick Fury himself, smoking his cigar. He wore his blue S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform under a brown trenchcoat.

"Who are you?"

"Fury. Nick Fury." Came the gruff reply.

Bruce scanned the man up and down, and, like a computer, began drawing observed facts from his analysis.

" _War veteran, long time smoker, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., average fighter, master tactician, far-sighted..."_

"Why am I here?" Bruce demanded.

"You're here because I need you here. More specifically, I needed those files. It wasn't a hard plan to execute, Mr. Wayne. Now that I have you here, I could actually use a few of your skills and I would feel that it would work best if you agreed to it."

"Or what?" Bruce narrowed his eyes.

Fury blew out the smoke from his cigar, never leaving eye contact with Bruce. "Mr. Wayne, I don't have to remind you that the Witches and their association are a threat to national security. If you do refuse… I'll send you back home, safe and sound. However, I will blow your identity wide open and you and everyone you love will become a target from those who have a grudge against you."

Bruce stood up and walked toward the bars, resting his head on the door. His glare intensified, staring deep into Fury's soul. "I want assurity that if I cooperate with you, my family will remain unharmed and well-attended."

Fury sucked in another smoke. "I'll give you my word after you show me what you can do."

"Laos?" Bruce asked suddenly, his glare remaining.

This made Fury stop short and stare at Bruce for a few moments, befuddled. "What did you just say?"

"The scar that took out your eye and made it 95% blind… was it taken in Laos?"

Fury's visible eye widened and he furrowed his brow in confusion. "How the hell do you know about my eye?"

"The eye-patch still makes subtle movements underneath the patch, meaning that it still retains some feeling and hardly any sight, indicating a subconscious movement from your part. You've gotten used to it to the point that even you can't notice when it moves anymore. This means that you've gotten the injury at a very early age, probably a few years into your war service. The time period of your war service is difficult to pinpoint because you're actually older than you look, far older. I suspect you've used some kind of formula to slow your aging. Considering the organization you belong to and the things I've seen, it's not a far-fetched conclusion. Guessing by your body language and general, rough language pattern, I would say that you lost it in Laos because everything about you resembles other war veterans from that time period. I can read you like a book, analyze you like a computer." Bruce tapped his head twice, his eyes holding a teasing glint in them as he watched Nick subtly shift his weight, dropping his cigar and crushing it beneath his feet.

"Let him out." Fury commanded.

The guards opened the cell door, keeping their guns trained on him, and let him out. Bruce calmly walked out, coming face-to-face with Fury.

"So… was I right, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Fury ignored the snide observation and simply said, "Alright, Wayne. You've proved your point. I'll keep your butler and ward safe and well. Don't worry, they're not on this freighter either." Fury turned around and faced Natasha. "Escort him to the quarters."

"Yes, sir." Throughout the man's analysis, Natasha couldn't help a small, indiscernible smile from gracing her face. Fury grumbled to himself something about "smart-ass rich boys" before walking away, lighting another cigar.

Black Widow led a still handcuffed Bruce down the corridor of the freighter, the two guards following behind them. The red-haired woman stopped at a door, standing in front of it.

"These will be your quarters." She opened the door, allowing him inside. Bruce was pushed inside by the guard, stumbling forward into his room. The room itself was rather simple with a bed, a toilet and a rug.

"You are relieved." She told the guards. They saluted her before walking off, leaving her to lean against the doorway, watching Bruce glance around the simple room.

"How did you do it?"

Bruce looked behind him, his eyes narrowed. He didn't answer her for several moments and she briefly thought he wouldn't tell her until he finally said, "His body language gave him away. I could tell, from the situation, that he was the S.H.I.E.L.D. commander. There were was no other person, with such experience and age-old scars, to talk to the prisoner personally. All you have to do is observe a person carefully, watch them like you would a sample under a microscope and record their behavior in your mind. It can always be used against them. Always."

"Intriguing… So tell me, what do you get from me?"

Bruce was slightly surprised from this question. Truth be told, he hadn't even tried to analyze her for some odd reason. He had never questioned it, never observed her. He didn't understand why.

Bruce faced her, staring at her up and down, his eyes resting on her leafy green pupils.

"You're a determined woman… stone-cold, single minded, and strong. You understand how to kill a man with a single blow and you tend to repress your emotions in the face of horror and adversity. You're a skilled spy, judging by how the commander behaves around you yet you strike fear into lesser men. You're obsessive and driven… ready to anything, _anything_ , to complete the mission. No matter who you betray, no matter how much it hurts… no matter if it turns your soul black…" Bruce had walked up to her, right in her face. "You ask me what I see? I see someone who resembles me. A tortured soul standing alone in the darkness."

Natasha and Bruce remained eye contact before she cracked a small, bittersweet smile. "So, basically, you're saying that I'm untrustworthy? A monster?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Bruce replied coldly. "Now, are you going to uncuff me or I am to remain like this until we reach our destination?"

Natasha exhaled softly before pulling out her keys and undoing the man's handcuffs. "Remain in here until a guard comes to escort you. You will be given further details by Commander Fury personally." She stated in a monotone voice. She closed the door, locking him in before turning and walking away. She stopped for a brief second, giving one last faint glance at the door before continuing down the hall.

On the other side of the door, Bruce stood there until the sound of her footsteps disappeared. Once they were gone, he sighed gently, shutting his eyes. For a brief moment, slipping through all of his mental fortitude and restraint, he saw that red-haired girl again and when he did, an unwanted spark triggered in his chest. Now that Widow had left, he doused it immediately, forcing himself to shed the memory from his mind.

Bruce stepped away from the door and sat down, resting his elbows on his knees. He interlocked his fingers and brought his hands up to his mouth where he rested his chin in his interlocked fingers. He stared at the wall, thoughts rapidly rushing through his head.

" _Be patient… Be patient. Play along and be patient. Do what they request of you and do not resist… Bide your time and be patient..."_

* * *

Later in the day, a loud knock was heard on Bruce's door. He stood up and opened it, a woman with short brown hair and a S.H.I.E.L.D. outfit stood in front of it.

"Follow me." Was all she said. She turned and led Bruce down the hall, moving through the ship until they came upon a room. It was a large room, technologically more advanced than the rest of ship. It had large holographic computers and the walls themselves allowed one to see an image of what the front of the ship was seeing. In the center of the room was a large capsule and in front of it, stood Nick Fury.

"I'm surprised that you let me come in here without handcuffs or restraints." Bruce stated, walking up to the man.

"Well, so long as we hold your friends in capture, you'll never really do anything will you." Bruce didn't reply, simply staring at him coldly. "Don't worry, Mr. Wayne. Complete the job, use your skills as they are needed and you will go home safe. You won't probably remember any of this."

"I doubt that."

"I don't."

Fury's statement made Bruce narrow his eyes in deep suspicion. Nick turned around and began walking around the capsule. "We are approaching our destination in approximately one hour. Our target is someone you and Agent Widow should know well… Bruno Drexler." A holographic image of the woman appeared to the right of the room and Bruce had to resist the urge to contort his face in disgust.

"She's staying at a safehouse in London. We need to extract her and bring her to one of our bases for questioning. Mr. Wayne, your ability to blend in with the night will be very useful here as well as your… persuasive techniques. In addition, we've developed a suit specifically for this mission. Here, take a look."

Fury pressed a button and the capsule opened, revealing a customized Batsuit. This suit was no different from his own in color as it was nearly completely black, except for the dark grey on the sides of the suit, shoulders, side of the legs, Bat symbol and the lenses. The suit didn't cover the arms completely and would expose his biceps past the shoulder and his forearms would be covered by the dark black gauntlets. These gauntlets had no fins, unlike on his original nor did it have a cape. Even the belt was a dark black.

"Advanced Kevlar, lightweight, bulletproof, the works. It's got everything in your original suit and then some. We've gathered an assortment of gadgets that you can choose from and anything else you need." Fury motioned to a table that had a bunch of technological toys on the surface.

Bruce walked up to the suit, looking it over. "It'll do."

"Good. We have our coordinates. You'll be going in with Natasha, your at-hand operative and specialist will be Maria Hill. You all have 45 minutes to prepare. I expect good things from you, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce didn't pay attention to him, instead taking off the belt from the suit and walking over to the table that held the gadgets. He set to work taking the things that he needed, carefully calculating how much he would need and of what.

* * *

Nighttime fell over London, the drafty wind blowing by as Batman and Black Widow stood on the rooftop, overlooking where Bruno was located. Completing his suit preparation, Batman had stepped out of the freighter with an extra, smaller belt wrapped around his leg and a steel, black crossbow strapped on his back. He had left his scar visible and put fake tattoos on the visible skin of his arm to dissuade any idea that this was the _exact_ same Batman rumored to exist in Gotham.

 _'Target was just seen entering into that old building. The top priority is keeping low profile – meaning no bodies where they can be seen or letting anyone know of your presence. The whole reason we came on the freighter was to blend in. We don't need the governments making a big damn deal.'_

Batman turned on his binocular vision while Black Widow pulled out binoculars. They both switched on the night vision function and scouted out the area.

" **Three guards, two entryways/** Three guards, two entryways." The two said in unison. They glanced at each other for a moment before looking back out at the building.

"We should enter from around the back, using the second story window. Have Maria cut the power and take out any escape vehicles."

" **No, that's too noisy. Bruno realizes our presence and risks escaping in some unforeseen manner or worse, calling back-up. The element of surprise is on our side against the Witches so long as they understand that we aren't chasing them. We sneak in through the exposed vents, disabling the security via Hill. We take her right from under their nose, later replacing the woman with a look-a-like. I'm sure you can conjure something."**

"Listen," Widow began with a commanding tone, turning to face him fully. "For this operation, _I_ am the commanding officer. You are here to provide your practical services, not your tactical ones."

" **Your plan of cutting the power could instantly alert them and get us killed."**

 _'Enough, rich boy.'_ Fury chimed. _'Need I remind you that you have lives depending on you. I would hate to do it, but, unfortunately, there are other lives at stake, too.'_

Batman exhaled hotly but remained silent, keeping his eye out in the distance. With no further protests, Widow turned back to the building, pressing her finger to her comm-link.

"Did you get that Hill?"

 _'Cut the power and slash some tires. Got it.'_

Widow nodded in satisfaction, closing her eyes and sighing. "Listen..." She began softly. "I know you don't trust me..."

" **I don't."**

"But we have no choice. Please believe me when I say that."

Batman didn't respond to her, simply reaching in his belt and pulling out his grapnel launcher. **"Let's just do this."**

Widow and Batman swung down to the alleyway, running around the building until they came around the back. There was a camera on the side but Batman and Black Widow snuck through unseen, climbing up to the floor above and entering through a window. A guard began patrolling down the hall but Batman put him in a chokehold, knocking him out. Black Widow waited a second until the light cut off. Once this was done, the two stealth operatives made their way down the hall, knocking out any guards they saw.

They eventually came upon a door that was technologically locked and was made of steel. It had a keypad on the side and Black Widow knelt down in front of it.

"This door has a separate power source keeping it on. Cover me while I hack into it."

Behind the door, Bruno had noticed, on her security monitors, that the cameras had gone out. She instantly sprang up from her desk, glaring at the screen. She reached for her phone and dialed a number.

 _'Yes?'_ Came the rough, male voice on the other side.

"Alert the sisters. Someone has come for us. I think one of the government agents is trying to take me. Tell them all to stay on high alert, understood?"

Outside of the door, Black Widow activated the switch that opened the door and ran inside. The minute she did, Bruno was prepared for her as she held a machine gun that she fired off as soon as she saw the red-haired agent.

Without a second thought, Batman jumped in front of her, knocking her out of the way of the gunfire and taking a bullet in the arm. On the floor, Widow quickly shot at Bruno's hand, disarming her. She then ran up to her and knocked the woman clean to the floor with a reverse spinning kick. Widow landed on the desk, looking down at the blonde woman with a bitter glare in her eyes.

"Nice to see you, too."

* * *

Bruno woke with chains on her wrists, neck and ankles. She felt blood dripping from her forehead and when she glanced at the ceiling, she was forced to quickly look away due to the intensity of the overhead lamp. When she looked down at herself, she quickly realized she had no clothing on. Confused, she began looking around. The rest of the room was dark but she could just barely make out a dark figure standing against the wall. It was the Batman.

"You… who are you?"

" **I'm hurt. You don't remember me?"** Even though his words were supposed to be in a teasing manner, his voice came out more as a feral growl.

Despite this, Bruno retained her bravado. "Heh… why would I remember some loon in a mask?"

" **I'm sure deja vu will hit in a moment. Bruno, I have several questions I need to ask you but according to your record, you have a strong resistant against most forms of torture. _Most_ but not all and luckily, not the one that would strike a person as… karma." **

"What are you talking about, you damn dog?"

Batman walked over to her, standing over her in the light. Strangely enough, he looked more fearsome in the light to her than he did in the dark. **"Outside of this room, we have innumerous amounts of convicts – men who have been in jail for decades and have never even** _ **seen**_ **a woman. I'll let five in here to do what they will with you until I have them stop and switched out for another five after that. And another. And** _ **another…**_ **Unless you tell me, right now, what you know about the other Witches."**

"Hah!" She scoffed. "Your plan is already doomed for failure. I can see myself enjoying every session, you fool!"

" **Oh, I doubt that."**

Batman snapped his fingers and the lights shone on. Around the room, one could see various "tools" set up on the wall. Bruno glanced back and forth at this and upon realizing a certain similarity, she whipped her head back at Batman and her eyes widened in recognition and shock.

"Y-you…!"

" **Now, I know this is just petty revenge..."**

Batman started as he leaned back against the wall, a button next to him. Incessant banging accompanied with barbaric shouts could be heard at the door. They were most clearly men. Batman smirked darkly.

" **But it's still going to put a smile on myface."**

Batman pressed the button and the door opened, allowing five of the most overshaped, burly, angry looking men that you would ever see into the room. They were held back by chains held by the guards.

Bruno's bravado had all but disappeared and instead, paleness remained on her face. Her eyes darted between Batman, the barbaric looking men and the toys on the wall. It didn't take long for tears to build up in her eyes and for her to scoot as far back in the circular shaped room as possible.

"P-please! No! Not this, anything but this! I'll tell you anything! I'll tell you EVERYTHING! JUST PLEASE!"

Batman motioned to the guards and they pulled the men out, with a struggle, before Batman shut the door, allowing Bruno relief though she still shook with fright.

" **Now..."** Batman walked until he was in front of her, his shadow overtaking her body. **"Tell me _everything_ you know."**

* * *

Batman walked out of the room, stopping front of Black Widow, who was waiting for him outside. She glanced at his bandaged arm and smiled softly.

" **We've got the information needed. I'm sure Fury was watching on the cameras."**

She looked up at him, the smile still on her face. "You took the bullet… for me."

Batman said nothing, simply staring at her blankly. She reached out to touch his arm and for a moment, Batman didn't react as his mind was numb but as her fingers inched closer, his senses returned to him and he stepped back out of her reach.

He walked around her, stepping up to Maria Hill, who proceeded to escort him back to his room. Black Widow solemnly glanced back at him before turning around and walking away. Before she turned the hall, Batman stole a quick, unnoticeable look behind his shoulder before exhaling quietly and closing his eyes painfully.

" _ **I know what she has done… I know what she is… But when I shun her after she smiles and attempts to touch me… Why, Mother, does it hurt me so?"**_


	4. Chapter 4: Sour Memories

"Based on the information we got from Bruno, our next target is located somewhere in Italy. Her name is Clarice Ferguson, also known as Blink. She maintains the mutant ability to teleport over short distances."

A holographic image appeared in the room. Batman narrowed his eyes at the picture, memorable dark images involuntarily flashing through his mind. He forced himself to ignore the memories and focus on Fury's words. Unbeknownst to him, Natasha stole glances his way, noticing his distracted behavior.

"Our intel has told us that she may hold the secret to where the Witches' new weapon may be kept. Our contact inside says she's holed up in a military base 10 miles off the coast. You'll be going in via parachute, landing in the water a mile away from it. We've studied the guard patrols. You won't be seen from where you land. How you sneak in from there will be decided by Black Widow, with _no_ arguments from any other operatives."

Batman just scoffed lightly.

"We have three hours. Get any gear you need and proceed to the deck. Dismissed."

* * *

"The governments are onto us."

 _'They don't know anything yet. However, they will probably be coming after you.'_

 _'I know. I'm well prepared. They won't get anything – not me or the information they seek.'_

" _He_ won't be pleased if they succeed."

 _'No, he won't. I heard he was livid when he heard that Bruno had been captured.'_

"Bruno was a weak link and was disposable anyway. The real battle begins from here on out. Blink, kill them even if you have to give your life. If _he_ finds out about this, he'll do worse than kill you."

 _'Have you met_ him _?'_

"Not in person but I have met his… representative, sort of speak. They are both dangerous so it would be wise to tread lightly."

 _'Understood.'_

* * *

Batman and Black Widow stood on the deck, standing in front of a small jet. It was nighttime and the stars twinkled above them. Batman stoically ignored the subtle glances of his companion while thinking about his adopted father and adopted ward.

" _ **I need to find some way to contact them without Fury knowing."**_

Nick Fury came out alongside Maria, who was wearing a pilot's uniform.

"You two will be flown via stealth jet. The E.T.A. will be 15 minutes. Remember, Widow, we need her alive. Break her if you need to but _do not kill her."_

"Understood, sir." She replied.

The two then got aboard the jet with Maria at its helm. The agents on the deck gave her the O.K. and, after setting up the engines, the small jet rode forward. In the span of a few moments, it took to the sky gracefully and disappeared amongst the clouds. The jet ride was made in silence, with Batman and Black Widow avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"E.T.A. is 5 minutes. Ready your diving gear." Maria said after 10 minutes of flying.

Batman reached into his belt and strapped on his rebreather while Widow placed on a scuba mask. The two felt the jet lower closer to the water and their seats lowered until they were lying flat. The seats then descended until it was within the floor. The floor then started making a small case around them.

"Good luck, you two." Maria pressed the button and the hatches below their cases opened, releasing them into the black water below. Once submerged beneath the sea level, the cases opened and allow the two to freely swim. Batman and Black Widow turned on their night vision and began swimming toward the island base. Once the two had made it to the rocky shore on the south side, they rose from the deep and looked up at the island in its full glory with their own eyes.

It seemed more like a prison than anything else. It had a large wall set up around it with a colossal lighthouse at the north end. The rays from floodlights waved about the shore to the west and east sides. On top of the wall were patrolling guards carrying AKs.

Batman and Widow pressed themselves against the wall, having taken off their swimming gear.

" **Where is the Witch located?"** Batman asked.

"We don't know," replied Widow. "We have only acquired so much knowledge on this base prior to infiltration. We believe that it's most likely she's either in the north or south side of the base."

" **We'll just have to do this the hard way then."**

The Batman and the Black Widow began scaling up the wall, making sure to carefully stay out of the flood lights. When they had reached the top, they hanged just below the edge, their fingertips firmly pressed on the ledge. When her ears caught wind of soft thumping and the nearly minute jiggling of keys in a pocket, Black Widow sprang up and grabbed the lone soldier and, while covering his mouth, pulled him over the edge with Batman holding her leg as they hung him like mistletoe over the rocky shore below.

"Listen carefully… I need to know where your leader, Blink, is located. You're going to tell me or I'll drop you to the rocks below. If you understand me, then nod."

The guard nodded quickly, perspiration accumulating on his brow.

"Good," said Widow. "Now, I'm going to remove my hand from your mouth. If you make even one sound to alert the guards, I'll kill you and let your corpse drop. If you don't want that to happen, simply tell me what I need to know."

Slowly, Black Widow removed her gloved hand from the man's mouth. Her hand retreated so slowly that it gave the man the feeling that she would go back on her promise and kill him at any moment regardless.

"S-she's in the north end!" He whispered. "She tends to move back and forth often!"

"Why?" asked Widow.

"She has to keep constant track of the codes!"

Batman narrowed his eyes. **"What codes?!"**

"There are these codes that she has. She keeps them in a vault inside a locked room. I don't what they're for or what's beyond that room!"

"Then why is she on the north end if what's in that room is so important?" Widow asked.

"Because the command center is there. It's also where they overlook the training area for the new recruits. Mutants that can develop their powers for the Witches."

Widow stole a quick glance up at Batman who firmly nodded down at her.

"You've been a great help," said Widow before slamming the guard's head against the wall and knocking him unconscious.

Batman pulled her up and the two scaled the wall, crouching to stay out of the guards who were walking back. The guard who had been knocked out had remained hanging from the line.

"Did you catch that, Commander Fury?" asked Black Widow.

' _Yes,'_ came the reply. _'This changes things. Natasha, we now have two priorities: Number one is to secure the mutant Witch, Blink, for questioning. The second is to secure whatever is in that room. It could be vital information that could aid us. Anything so classified that it has to be kept in a room like that has to be of some value to us. Find it!'_

"Yes, sir." She turned to Batman after cutting off the closed channel. "We should go after Blink first. There's a chance she'll move somewhere else. The quicker we get her, the better. If we get discovered beforehand, she might try to escape us."

" **The quicker we get to** _ **each**_ **target is the best. We need to split up and go after each objective separately. This will save the most time and ultimately reduce the risk of us both getting discovered. If one gets captured, the other might not be suspected."**

Widow sighed, lowering her head in contemplation.

" **Listen to me this time. We can't afford to have any further alerts. The Witches aren't fools and they** _ **will**_ **begin moving their operatives around if they learn of our pattern."**

Black Widow raised her head, staring into Batman's lensed eyes. She then shut her own tightly before exhaling sharply.

"Fine," said she reluctantly after re-opening her eyes, looking at Batman again. "We'll do it your way this _one_ time."

Batman nodded. **"I'll go after the codes. If it's in a room behind a locked door, I'll have it decrypted in seconds. You seem to be better equipped to extract Widow than I would."**

A small, barely noticeable smile made its way onto Widow's face. "And…" She couldn't resist. "How do you know what I'm better equipped to do?"

Despite himself, a smirk formed on Batman's face. **"I've studied you."**

Her smiled widened slightly and a small chuckle emitted from the scarlet-haired agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Batman, still crouched, turned and began making his way to the south side base that could be seen behind the wall on the other side of the island.

"Batman!" Widow called and he stopped. "Good luck."

Without turning around, Batman replied, **"You too."** After that, he was off. Widow turned and began moving in the other direction, taking out any guards along the way.

* * *

On the ground, the island looked like an advanced military base. The guards were of Russian descent and wore standard military apparel, gray in color. The dark figure, the Batman, was hidden behind a large pile of crates. There were guards patrolling the runway beyond him as flight was one of the few ways to leave the island. Batman could hear the engines of forklifts. The machine repeatedly came to the crates he was hiding behind and took away some of the boxes, removing more of his cover. He also knew that two guards were staring his way so he couldn't just jump out of cover and move to another.

Despite this disadvantage, he had already formulated a plan. Moving fast while the forklift was still gone, he pulled out a batarang from his belt and opened one of the crates from the back. After he silently opened it, guns poured out. He glared at them hatefully before inhaling and willing himself to get inside the crate with them. He had never felt so sick to his stomach as he did when the being surrounded by weapons of murder and destruction.

It wasn't long before he felt the crate lifted by the forklift and taken inside the warehouse next to the building he intended to infiltrate. The warehouse and the building Batman deduced was his target were connected by a bridge that the guards constantly patrolled. Once Batman was set down and he heard the forklift leave, he exited the crate as fast as he could. Now free, Batman made his way to the upper levels where the bridge was located.

On his way to there, he moved through the building, dodging the sights of many guards and keeping in the shadows like one so stealthy as he should. When he had finally made it to the bridge, he saw two guards standing at the end, guarding the entrance to the other building. There was also another guard patrolling back and forth on the bridge. Batman put his hands on his cowl and zoomed on the guard from behind the corner, looking at his name tag.

" _ **Sokolov…"**_

Acting quickly, Batman attracted another guard with a slight noise. Once the guard had approached him, Batman grabbed him and held him in a headlock, pressing the sharp end of his batarang to the man's throat.

" **Say anything above a whisper and I'll kill you. Now, say something."**

"P-please don't kill me…!"

" **Thanks."** Batman quickly knocked him out before going back to the corner. By now, the patrolling guard, Sokolov, had gotten closer to the entrance to the warehouse; close enough to hear when someone called him.

"Hey, Sokolov! Could you come in here for a moment, comrade? I need help with something!"

"Ah, what is it this time, damn you?" Sokolov came inside and turned the corner but never came back out. The two guards weren't given the time to think about it as small batarangs whipped out from the corner and hit them in the neck, instantly putting them to sleep. Now that the coast was clear, the Dark Knight sprinted across the bridge in a flash, silently and ghost-like. Once he was in the other building and beyond the bridge, he instantly took cover behind a wall. In the halls around the corner, he saw there were cameras looking about the place and several guards walking back and forth. There were no vents nor any underground passageways.

" _ **I suppose we'll be doing this the hard way then… Good."**_

Carefully, Batman studied the patterns of both the guards and the cameras.

" _ **Whoever designed this facility was smart. The pattern of the guards and the pattern of the cameras leave**_ **almost** _ **no room for getting through. However, what this person didn't see was the limitation of technological and human peripheral vision. All I need to do is wait… wait… Now!"**_

With the legs of a tiger, Batman sprang forward, while sticking close to the wall, and moved quickly before the guards could turn around. He then pressed himself under a camera to prevent being seen, waited for it to turn before continuing on his way. Batman would repeat this pattern several times throughout the facility with little to no difficulty until he found out where he needed to be. Soon, he found himself standing in front of a large steel door kept shut by a biometric scanner on the side. Batman pulled out a scrambling device and placed it on the scanner, overriding the system and opening the door. Batman quickly made his way inside with the door closing after him.

Inside the room were servers surrounding a large, black, circular desk. Behind the desk was a monumental screen that was installed within the wall itself. To the left of the desk, there was safe on the wall.

Standing here now and knowing that Blink occupied this place, that he was standing in the same room as the woman who once violated him, made Batman's blood boil. His mind, unbidden by his will, began allowing the memories to resurface.

" _Come on, little boy! Scream! We want to hear you scream! Come on! Are you enjoying yourself? Ooh, yes! That's it!"_

" _Urgh…!"_

" _Don't growl at me like that!"_

 _CRACK!_

" _There; that whip should show you who's in charge. Now, where were we? Oh, that's right. Scream for me!"_

 _CRACK!_

" _AAH!"_

" _That's good! I like that! Do it again! Really put your passion into it!"_

 _CRACK! CRACK!_

" _AAAAHHH!"_

Batman shook his head, resisting the disturbing memories of the experiences he went through with that woman and the others. He sighed, calming himself down before raising his fingers to his comm-link.

" **Widow, come i-"**

RRR! RRR! RRR!

' _Attention, all personnel! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!'_

* * *

After separating from Batman, Widow made her way to the north side of the military island. She ran across the wall, either taking out or sneakily moving past the guards patrolling the wall. It was several minutes before Agent Widow arrived at her destination – an assortment of buildings with several having satellites on their roofs. Black Widow crouched down and pulled out a small pair of binoculars. She zoomed in on the various figures walking on the ground until she caught an eye of a woman with purple-tinged skin and hair of the same color.

"Found you."

Her voice came out as a whisper as her mind rushed to remember the events of her past.

" _Bruce? Are you okay?!"_

" _Ugh… I'm fine…" He replied, his voice raspy and croaked._

" _No, you're not! You have scars!"_

" _So do you…" He reached up and traced his hand over her skin, noting several knife scars. "What did they do to you, Natasha?"_

" _They made me fight. They always make me fight. They use us. They only use us." She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face on his shoulder. "Oh, Bruce…"_

Black Widow's grip on her binoculars tightly greatly and her hands trembled ever so slightly. A slow, soft exhale could be heard and her jaw was firmly clenched.

After confirming her target, she reached up and contacted Fury.

"Commander Fury, I've located the target."

' _Good. You'll need to extract her via speedboat. There's an offshore oil facility that we will be using for the purposes of securing and questioning the target. Remember – do_ not _kill her. She is an important source of information.'_

Widow sighed softly. "I understand, sir."

After once again turning off her comm-links, she made her way down the wall and snuck past the guards until she was near her target, hiding behind a building. The woman was surrounded by several guards. Widow watched her go into the building across from her.

Remaining unseen, Black Widow followed until she was inside as well. Once inside, the spy remained in the shadows, watching Blink from a close proximity. They were in a training area and below them were soldiers in training, performing techniques of all kinds, throwing each other into the ground with wooden knives in each other's hands. The smell of gunpowder was poignant and Widow could hear the rapid fire of bullets hitting target boards.

Blink walked into a small monitor room and two of her guards stood outside of the door. Widow looked around the area in an attempt to find an entry method into the room. While she looked around, her mind began to wander again, back into the memories of the Red Room.

" _So, you helped him escape, hm? Too bad for you, girl. The Witches are livid with you and I don't know what Bruno will do to you. But they'll make you suffer in some brutal manner. It's a shame they don't like girls the way they liked the boy. You could have, at least, enjoyed yourself before you die. Hahah!"_

Widow shut her eyes, sweat accumulating on her brow. Her breath quickened and her blood raced.

" _We won't kill you, girl. We will do something worse – we will make you into our puppet. You will kill for us, like a machine. We will erase everything about your past – your mother, your father, the terrorist incident, even the boy."_

" _No! No, please, anything but that!"_

" _From now on, your entire past will be changed. You will be_ ours."

Widow slammed her fist against her leg, forcefully burning the thoughts from her mind. She inhaled slowly, inflating her stomach before breathing out, letting her stomach return to normal. She repeated this process several times until she was in complete control of her thoughts again. Once she was, her path became clear.

Widow made her way back outside and grappled to the roof. She found the spot where Blink's room would be under and made a small hole, small enough for a gnat to fit through. Black Widow then took out a small robotic bug that she put through the hole. Afterward, using a small remote, she controlled the thing until it planted itself on Blink's neck. It bit her and before she could react, she slumped over, asleep.

She then made another hole, using a laser, and fit herself through, dropping down to the floor. Making sure the guards outside were none the wiser, she picked up Blink's body and left through the same hole. With the woman on her shoulder, she made her way elsewhere with the body.

When Blink woke up, she found herself tied to a chair and gagged. She recognized that she was in the bathroom in another part of the island. She grunted several times, trying to teleport out of her bonds.

"Don't bother," came Widow's voice. "I've given your body a mix of chemicals that will leave you unable to use your mutant powers for about 24 hours. More than enough time."

Widow walked from behind Blink, the Witch staring up at her hatefully.

"Sorry about the location. It's just all that I could find at such short notice. And don't worry, we won't be interrupted either. Not by anything, not even your screams," she said darkly. "There's been something on my mind… something that's been bothering me and I really just need to get it off my chest. I just need to know… do you remember me?"

Widow reached down and pulled the cloth out of Blink's allowing her to speak.

"Remember you?" Blink scoffed. "I don't remember the people I intend to kill."

"Wrong answer." Widow took ahold of Blink's head and slammed it against the sink. The blow wasn't hard enough to knock her out but it was impactful enough to make her bleed.

"Heh… you're that gutless child, right? The Black Widow…"

"And do you remember… the boy who you used to torture day in and day out? You used to drive him to the brink of death with your combination of 'games' and Red Room indoctrination."

"A boy? You'll have to be more specific… I've tortured a lot of boys."

BAM!

Black Widow socked Blink in the face with a heavy right hook, knocking her to the floor.

"You tried to break him… over and over… every day, I watched someone I loved come back, half beaten and very violated. You tried to subjugate him and me to your will, yet he continued to stay strong and his strength helped me…"

"Do you need a tissue, sweetheart?" teased Blink, grinning up at Widow defiantly with blood-coated teeth.

"Looking at you now… All I can feel is _hate_ in my heart for you. My orders are to bring you back alive but… if he finds what I think he will find, then we won't need you."

Black Widow pulled out a silenced pistol and aimed it at Blink's skull. "Know the consequences of the pain you brought on us, witch."

Blink chuckled, her volume increasing slowly until it was full blown laughter. "You should know… that there are nanites in my bloodstream right now. Little bugs that monitor my heart rate. This _entire_ island is wired to it. It's designated to blow if _I_ die. You can't kill me or, after ten minutes, you'll be dead too. And there's no way you can escape in time. An alert will be had and they'll kill you before letting you get away with my death. I am the Queen, I am the Witch, I am-"

BANG!

"…No more," said Widow emotionlessly.

RRR! RRR! RRR!

' _ **Widow,'**_ came Batman's voice, _**'did something happen?'**_

"Yes…" she said slowly, staring down at Ferguson's body coldly. "Blink is dead. She attacked me and I ended up having to kill her in self-defense.

There was a long pause before Batman answered again.

' _ **What happened, happened,'**_ he finally said, though he didn't sound pleased. Bullets could be heard being fired on his side. _**'This island, is it going down?'**_

"Yes," she replied, "and it's going to take us with it if we don't escape now."

' _ **I've got the files but I won't be able to escape with you. I'm going to have to take another escape boat.'**_

"No!" She exclaimed. "We leave together!"

' _ **Don't be stupid. Getting out here now is key. I**_ **will** _ **meet you. Go, Widow, go!'**_

Clenching her fist, Black Widow sighed in acceptance. "I swear to God, Wayne… if you die, I'll hunt you down in the afterlife and kill you again!"

She then began to make her way to an escape boat.

* * *

Bullets swam past Batman as he hid behind the desk of the room he infiltrated.

" _ **Good… now that I've set the alarm, Widow will be able to escape with minimal difficulty."**_

DRR-RRR! DRR-RRR!

Batman could hear the rapid unloading of a large machine gun and the assault of rifles.

" _ **In several minutes, there will be an army of gunmen flooding into this room. I need to get out**_ **now."**

Batman grabbed the crossbow on his back and loaded it with a special, technologically enhanced arrow. With the quickness of a lightning bolt, Batman sprang out from cover and shot the arrow past the guards, the projectile hitting the wall behind him. Batman then quickly returned to cover and pulled out a switch from his belt. He pressed it and when he did, the arrow, embedded within the wall, began emitting a high pitch screeching sound that disrupted the guards comms painfully. Disorientated, they held their ears in pain as the sound nearly deafened them. Their aim was all over the place; hitting the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. After several seconds of suffering, they fell to the ground in a deep, unconscious state.

' _T-minus 5 minutes.'_

Batman ran out from cover and knelt down among the guards, closing his eyes in shame.

" **I'm sorry…"** He whispered solemnly. Batman then arose and ran down the hall, mowing past any other guards he saw.

* * *

Black Widow had managed to make it to the docks of the military island where the escape boats were located. She jumped into a boat and began starting it when she stopped all of a sudden and glanced over her shoulder back at the island. Her eyes softened and her heart quickened the longer her eyes remained on it.

" _Bruce…"_

"There! The intruder!" Several guards, catching sight of her, fired the weapons at her and the boat.

"Damn it." Widow retreated inside the boat and speedily started the engine. The bullets penetrated the screen, sending the shattered glass across Widow's lap. She quickly sped the boat out of the docks as the guards continued firing after her.

It wasn't long before she was able to build some considerable distance between the guards and her. Before she could sigh in relief, however, she spied out the rear view mirror at several guards chasing her on speedboats.

' _5… 4… 3… 2… 1…'_

BOOM!

The island behind them exploded, its large detonation unleashing waves that seemed to be the size of tsunamis. Luckily for Widow, she was just barely far enough to where the waves crashed on her boat but didn't sink it. Unluckily for her, it had the same effect on her pursuers.

She continued stealing glances out her rear view mirror, ducking every few seconds from bullets that flew through her window.

" _Did he make it? Did he make it?!"_

Her answer was given when, from the boat on the leftmost side, batarangs suddenly flew at the engines of the other boats, disabling them and leaving them stranded in the ocean.

Black Widow grinned widely as Batman swerved around the now "grounded" pursuers and rode up beside her. He nodded at her firmly and with that, the two made their way to the oil rig facility, leaving their angry chasers stranded and fruitlessly firing after them.

* * *

In the oil rig, Natasha sat in the makeshift medical center S.H.I.E.L.D. had made for the time being, a bandage around her shoulder. The door to the room opened and Bruce walked in, his cowl hanging from the back.

"I've given the information I collected to Fury. He's going to look it over and then plan the next move. He's also located and extracted the guards we left stranded in the sea and intends to see what he can learn from them."

"I doubt he'll learn much," said Natasha.

"I doubt so, too," agreed Bruce. "But, still, at least, there's a few lives that weren't completely destroyed…"

Natasha stared at Bruce with scrutiny. "Bruce, those men were murderers. They-"

"Didn't deserve to die," said Bruce sharply. Natasha only looked away, her red hair covering her eye. Bruce walked forward, standing closer to her now, and reached out, lightly passing his finger over the bandage. "What happened?"

She turned her head and looked at her shoulder. "It's just a flesh wound. A bullet grazed me."

"Hm. I suppose we're even now."

"No," replied Natasha quickly, looking up and staring into his ocean blue eyes. "You took a bullet for me… we're not even. You saved me, Bruce."

He smiled down at her softly. His hand moved from her shoulder and to cupping her face ever so gently. It was such a light touch that, to an average person, it would feel like it wasn't even there. However, to Natasha, she could feel the electricity in his touch. The two continued to stare deep into the other's eyes, into the other's soul. Then, suddenly, just as slow as he put his hand on her face did he remove it opposing quickness. Natasha felt the instinctive urge to stop him before he did but resisted and watched him turn around to leave.

"I'm sorry, Bruce…" She began, staring down at her thighs. "I'm sorry… for what we did to bring you here in the first place…"

Bruce stopped but didn't turn around. "I know now you didn't want to do it. It was an order. I hold no grudge against you."

"I wish we could let you see them but… the only person that holds authorization for it is Fury and Maria. You see, there are these cards that Fury and Maria keep in their suits to prevent from being pickpocketed that have to be applied in the computer room. They allow the remote release of the cells we're keeping your family in. I wish we could show you they're safe…"

Bruce glanced over his shoulder at her, but Natasha still maintained her stare on her legs. Bruce, saying nothing further, exited the room, leaving Widow sitting there alone. After almost 20 minutes of sitting, she got up and left the room too, walking down the halls of the oil rig until she saw, at the end of the hall, Bruce and Maria talking casually. The two were smiling and laughing, with Maria blushing and constantly patting Bruce's chest. Natasha watched as Maria entered Bruce's new room and Bruce followed her inside, closing the door. She then turned and, with a solemn look, began walking the other way.

* * *

A.N.: And there! Finally, right? After, yikes, a month, I was finally able to grab some time and update this story. Now, I know that updates have been a little infrequent and, I'm not gonna lie, it's going to be like that for awhile. However! I want to announce a special thing I'm planning to do for you guys as a sort of making up for not updating as much. I'm gonna call it the 7 Day Damn Good Green Stories Marathon! No? Okay, well, anyway, I'm basically going to be doing, in like a month or two, a week long story publishing where I will publish various one-shots, surprise updates and bonus chapters for some of the one-shots everyday around the evening time plus a bonus update the weekend after. You're gonna see Batman with pairings you would never even fathom! Now, I have _no_ clue when I'll be doing this but I'd like to kick it off around April or maybe May. We'll see but follow me and also, I've made a Twitter that I'll use to let you guys know about when I plan to update my stories and other things. My name is Green113X. So, follow me there for updates and stuff. So, please let me know what you think of this chapter, the story so far, the pairing and let me know what you guys think of the 7 Day DGGSM (Still no?)! You excited? Let me know and until next time, my loyal peoples!

Green out.


	5. Chapter 5: Traitorous Ally

Batman stood at the side of his bed, fixing his clothes. He looked down to see a passed out Maria, sheets covering her naked body, and a satisfied smile on her face. Batman's fingers ran over the card in his palm and, with silent movement, exited the room.

His head turned back and forth from the hall. His eyes saw no one and with this security of mind, Batman moved down the hall, dodging the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents like a shadow until he made it to the room informed to him – a large steel door with key slide to its side. Carefully, Batman slid the keycard through and waited until the orange light turned green, allowing Batman to enter. He gave one last look down the halls before moving inside.

Closing the door behind him, the Dark Knight looked about the monitor room. It was dark with the only light coming from the 3x3 rows of monitors showing various camera angles of a facility of some kind. On the center monitor was a camera showing Alfred and Dick sitting in a comfortable room in an unknown area. To the right of that screen, showed two guards standing outside their door.

Batman took out the keycard and inserted it into a slot that beeped when it was entered.

* * *

Alfred and Dick sat in a bright, white room with two beds, a television, and a small bathroom. Dick sat on his bed watching cartoons, an uninterested look on his face. Alfred sat on the adjacent bed, a cup of tea sipped from his lips.

TSHH!

The two's attention were turned to the sound of the door opening.

"What the hell?" exclaimed one of the guards, turning to look into the room and seeing the two "guests" sitting on the bed. "Who opened this?" He walked inside and pointed his gun at Alfred. "How did you open this?"

The other guard blocked the doorway, his eye on the child.

"Answer me!" shouted the guard. "Who opened this door?! We got no orders or anything and there's no way to open it except from the Command Center so I swear to God, if you're trying _anything_ , I will-"

"I see you've resigned yourself, young lad." Alfred softly placed his cup on his small plate and held the plate in his hand calmly. His eyes were like an eagle's the way they poignantly glared into the guard's, unnerving him greatly.

"What'd you say to me?"

"That object in your hands isn't a toy, understand?"

"Why you-!"

The lights then shut off mysteriously.

DRRRR-RRRR!

Bullets flew throughout the dark room, providing brief flashes of light. When the lights came back on, Dick and Alfred were standing over their downed foes, their disarmed guns in hand.

"You're improving, Young Master," commented Alfred, the butler fixing his suit.

Dick smirked, tossing the gun behind him. "I know."

"Come." Alfred strapped the gun around his shoulder, letting it hang at the hip, and then took out a pistol from the guard's waist. "It's time to escape."

"Who did that, Alfred?" asked Dick. "Who turned out the lights?"

Alfred glanced up at the camera in their room, smiling. "A dark angel, lad. Now, let's make haste!"

"Right!"

* * *

The two took off right down the hall of the facility, keeping close to the walls. The cameras above them followed their every movement, watching them as they pressed against the wall. Batman's tense face relaxed as he saw his adopted father and adopted son leave safely.

CLICK!

Batman looked over his shoulder to see an agent pointing a gun at him.

"Don't… move." The agent warned him, pulling back the hammer on the gun. "Oof!"

THUD!

Standing over the unconscious body was Black Widow, a gun in her hand and serious look engraved on her face.

"You have to hurry," she said. "They're coming for you." She rushed into the room, holstered her gun, and stood next to him, hunched over the screen. "Tell them to head for the helicopter. It's their best chance of the escape. The facility has yet to install anti-air defenses."

Batman instantly set to work inputting commands into the the monitors, the two dark-ridden figures watched as Alfred and Dick looked at the methodically flashing lights that continued to shift between off and on.

 _'What does it mean?'_ asked Dick.

 _'It's like Morse code,'_ said Alfred. ' _It's telling us… to take the helicopter on the helipad! Come, Master Richard!'_

 _'Right behind ya!'_

The two took off down another hall, the sirens soon emitting from the facility. From their end, Batman and Black Widow continued to direct the two by closing doors, redirecting oncoming guards, and giving them directions via light blinks.

"I'm going to direct them to a radio room before letting them leave," said Widow. "There's one in this place, too, that we can use to stay in contact."

Batman watched as Widow performed the action, his cowled corneas fixed intently on the screen as they were led safely into a room, grabbed a radio, and then made their way to the heliport.

BANG!

Batman and Black Widow were forced to jump out of the way when a large caliber bullet his the screen. Standing in the doorway was Nick Fury himself, a fierce glare in his eyes.

"Well, well, well… looks like I wasn't invited to the party." Fury removed the cigar from his breath, breathing his smoke into the air calmly. "What is the meaning of this, Agent Romanoff?"

Crouching on the floor, Widow reached for her gun but Fury raised his at her. "Tsk, tsk. Don't," warned the S.H.I.E.L.D. commander. "The next shot won't be aimed for the monitor. Now, I'll ask again..." Fury pulled back the hammer of his gun, steel shining in his eyes. "What are you doing, Natasha?! Are you betraying us by helping him? You have five seconds to answer… 5… 4… 3… 2…" He leveled his gun to the height of her head. "...1."

CLANG!

The batarang that had whipped and whooshed through the air knocked the gun out of his hand and onto the floor. With speedy reaction, Widow had sprung up from the ground and kicked Fury in the gut but the hardened war veteran recovered quickly and raised his fist only to have a rope wrapped around it and pulled toward Batman who had aimed the weapon. Once he was close enough, Batman threw the man over his shoulder, forcing Fury to recovered with a roll. Batman and Fury began to exchange blows when Black Widow could hear the faint rushing and shuffling of feet beyond the room and down the hall.

"Bruce! We have to go, now!"

Batman sweeped Nick Fury with a low spin kick, before pouncing him and dazing him with a punch to the jaw. He then rose up, grabbed a radio from the room they were in, and dashed for the doorway with Black widow in tow.

Shaking off the brunt blows felt by Batman, Nick Fury sat up and turned on his comm-link. "All personnel, agent Black Widow and the Batman have gone rogue! Restrain and retrieve them but do _not_ kill them. Any who do will be penalized. Do not let them escape, at all costs!"

Batman and Black Widow mowed through the onslaught of agents sent their way, ducking and dodging bullets wherever they saw them. Batman saw the stoic strain on Widow's trained face as she plowed through her comrades yet she didn't slip in her conviction, not once.

" **Where to?"** asked Batman as they turned a hall, batarangs flying from his hand.

"The submarine station! The cloaking device will give us the most stealth against their detection." She jumped and kicked an agent in the face, knocking him down.

" **Does Fury have anyway to track us?"**

"Yes, but he won't get to use it."

" **What do you mean?"**

Black Widow just smirked, shooting a non-lethal round down the hall and taking cover, Batman parallel to her on the other wall. "Just trust me."

Batman's eyes rested on hers for a moment. **"Okay."** He nodded.

Smiling, Widow jumped from cover and knocked out the two agents keeping them pinned. "Let's go!"

Batman and Black Widow ran side-by-side down the hall and over the unconscious S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to the bottom floor. Eventually, the two came upon the room which they sought – a large submarine halfway submerged underwater.

"Here." Widow pulled out, from her belt, a syringe with a clear liquid inside. "Inject this into your arm and Fury won't be able to track us. The nanites that he's implanted you with after taking you will be deactivated." Batman took the syringe and held it out in front of him. "Do you trust me?"

Without hesitation, Batman injected the syringe into his arm and pushed the liquid into his bloodstream. He watched Widow take out a syringe exactly like his and inject it into her neck. After that was done, Widow watched Batman jump onto the sub and begin opening the hatch.

" _I'll never let anyone imprison or hurt you again. I promise."_

" **Widow!"** called Batman. **"Let's go."**

The scarlet-haired agent jumped on the ship after him and jumped down the hatch, closing it behind her. The submarine soon sank deep in the ocean, gaining distance from their eventual pursuers.

Inside the machine, Batman had the radio in his hand. **"Alfred, come in. Did you make it to the helicopter?"**

TZZZZ!

" **Alfred? Come in. Alfred, do you read me?"**

TZZZZ!

Batman lowered his head, sighing. **"Damn it..."**

"They're alive. Believe in them." Widow stroke Batman's shoulder. Batman looked up and stared deep into her green eyes.

" **Natasha… I-"**

 _'Sir?'_

" **Alfred?!"** Batman held the radio to his mouth. **"Alfred, are you okay?"**

 _'We're fine, sir, though, we were not able to escape without a struggle. But, me and Master Richard are safe from the time being.'_

 _'Hey, Bruce!'_ greeted Dick. _'I'm getting kind of tired of getting kidnapped, you know?'_

Batman chuckled lowly. **"I know, Dick. Alfred, I need you to find someplace safe where you can go. Anywhere except Gotham."**

 _'Understood, sir. I'll try and get in contact with an old MI-5 contacts and see what foxholes we can secure ourselves in.'_

" **Good. Do that and stay there until I contact you. Keep the radio with you."**

 _'Very good, Master Wayne. And what are you planning to do?'_

Batman glanced at Widow. **"I still have a job to do. We're going to find the Witches and take them down."**

 _'Bruce… Be careful.'_

" **I will, old friend. I will."**

Batman cut off the radio and turned to Widow. **"Do you know where the next location is?"**

"Yes," replied the agent. "I received a briefing from Fury after my trip to the medical room. We'll put an end to the Witches… together."

The two shared a warm smile, the submarine departing to a location directed by the Widow herself.

* * *

A.N.: I know, I know, it's been a _really_ long time since I updated but like I said – Life. Been really busy with other things so it's hard to keep it consistent but for those of you who don't follow my Twitter (you should, I give updates), I have already finished several stories and chapters of the 7-day special plus one of the bonuses but it's going to take awhile. I hesitate to put a date on it but yeah. It'll be a few months but I'll try to update again so you can read something of mine. Anyway, I hope you liked this rather succinct chapter but the next ones will be longer, hopefully. Let me know what you thought and, as always, I'll see you next chapter.

Green out.


End file.
